Confused by conflicting nutrition information?

Does anyone else feel like we are inundated with tips for healthy eating?  I'll admit this topic is a passion of mine, since attention to diet has led to personal health changes for me and for my family.  Yet, even I groan a little every time I see a new headline highlighting this week's research, which always seems to conflict with last week's research.  Are eggs, red wine and coffee supposed to be good or bad for me now?  Maybe they're only good for me if I mix them all together in a Greek yogurt smoothie...? 

Besides the conflicting science, what's also frustrating is the media's penchant for heralding the coming of the latest super food or vital nutrient.  While the suppliers of blueberries, salmon and kale certainly benefit from the hype, will consuming any of those foods on their own cause me to restore or maintain good health? 

The volume of information presents a challenge when trying to figure out whom to believe.  Many people get so overwhelmed that they throw their hands up and decide not to pay attention to any of it.  Not sure what else to do, some adopt the mantra, "All Things In Moderation," which was a strategy that worked well fifty years ago, before the industrialization of the Standard American Diet (yes, that's abbreviated SAD).  But today there really are some "foods" available that we should steer clear of (see below).

Here are two issues that seem to contribute to the controversy:

1.  Nutrition is a very young science and accurate results difficult to come by.  In the extremely accessible book we read for 6th Grade Wellness, Food Rules, journalist Michael Pollan compares modern nutrition research to "surgery in the year 1650 - very promising and very interesting to watch, but are you ready to let them operate on you?"  There is still so much we don't know about how food works in the body and how other factors like stress, sleep, exercise, genes, etc... complicate things.  Also contributing to imprecise results is the simple fact that people are different.  Foods cause different results in different bodies.  Something as culturally wholesome and ubiquitous as cow's milk can be an elixir to one person, a poison to another.

How did eating - something so natural - become so complicated?

2.  Food today is a multi-billion dollar industry that is often more in tune with politics and profits than with personal health.  In her eye-opening book, Food Politics, NYU nutrition professor Marion Nestle pulls back the veil on guidelines like the USDA food pyramid, which she says are "political compromises between what science tells us about nutrition and health and what is good for the food industry."  She also points out that the sometimes inaccurate scientific research mentioned above is widely open to interpretation.  Many of the studies that find a certain food is good for us (or at least not harmful) are designed and interpreted by scientists employed by the industries that produce those foods.

So what's a modern human to do when the simple act of eating isn't so simple anymore?

Pay attention to your body.  Should you be drinking milk, eating wheat, eliminating sugar, taking up vegetarianism?  Only you can tell.

Deciding what to eat these days requires focus and concentration.

Experiment with different ways of eating and see how you feel.  Try eliminating foods you may suspect are causing a problem, especially if you're experiencing unexplained fatigue, bloating, headaches, stomachaches, brain fog etc... See if your symptoms go away.  If they do, after three weeks or so reintroduce the thing you eliminated and see if the symptoms return.

Limit foods with no nutritional value.  While everyone's reactions to foods are different, there are certain foods that aren't doing anyone any good.  Foods with artificial colors and flavors, excessive sugar and any trans fats (hydrogenated oils) are best left on the grocery store shelves.  I highly recommend this report from 60 Minutes (Is Sugar Toxic?) that investigates whether the "low fat" craze of the last 40 years was completely misguided because the bigger problem is really our consumption of refined carbohydrates.

Keep your foods as natural as possible and cook at home.  A growing

Choose whole foods instead of processed foods.

body of evidence suggests highly processed foods and factory-farming are contributing to America's growing health problems.  For more information, read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (or the young readers edition) and check out the following short videos that we watched in Wellness:  The Meatrix and Chipoltle Grill's new Scarecrow Ad.

Educate yourself and your family about the current state of the American food system.  The way we raise and process food is not only harming our bodies, but also leading to social justice issues and affecting the health of our planet.  In Fast Food Nation (and the young reader version Chew On This), investigative journalist Eric Schlosser makes a compelling argument that fast food is doing more harm than most of us imagine - even if we're supposed to be  "lovin' it".

If you're interested in purchasing copies of any of the above books, you might want to consider waiting a few weeks and buying them during Swain's Barnes and Noble Book Fair!

Mindful Kids - Helping Children Deal With Anxiety

Lehigh Valley Health Network is offering a six week class for 4th through 6th grade children who would like to learn ways to manage anxiety, reduce impulsivity and handle worrying thoughts through practicing mindfulness.  The class begins Sunday, October 20.  Sessions run from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  The fee is $99.  For more information click here and scroll down to "Mindful Kids".